History and Methods

The History and Method area takes a deep dive into the evolution of European thought as it emerged through what has been called the “Enlightenment”, “Renaissance” and “Reformation” eras. It offers a collection of courses that explore the key ideas that gave rise to our contemporary mainstream understanding of the nature and place of history, historical process and the method of knowing the world through historical master narratives. Ranging from the origins of the Aryan Race theory to the emergence of Anti-Semitism, Protestant Christianity and its interactions with Enlightenment, the rise of German identity and interest in Sanskrit, the emergence of German Indology, the European split between Science and Religion, the evolution of contemporary ideas of rationality, morality, intellectual progress, the relationship between the individual and the state, liberty, secularism and religious tolerance, these courses enable the student to trace the arc of development of contemporary mainstream western thought. Focusing on the ways in which European (now western) thought creates fundamental polarization and conflict between religion and science, reason and revelation, religious and secular, tradition and modernity, progressivism and regressivism, private and public, white and non-white and so on – these courses allow students to reflect on how these foundational sets of ideas have “set the table” of contemporary debate, well into our 21st century. By reviewing specific Philosophers and Thinkers and the critical writings that set this table, students will be enabled to inquire into the role and purpose of the field of contemporary Humanities as a special stream of study for self-cultivation, aesthetic appreciation and the development of a wider intellectual horizon and explore to what extent the promise of the humanities and the modern university have been thwarted by special and entrenched interests, leading to fundamental disconnects between the university and the wider public. Ultimately, this area of study, aims to enable students to engage with contemporary social and political debates, from a place of thoughtful and critical reflection and adequate historical context. 

Rivers of Rigveda

HAM4100 - The Course Rivers of Ṛgveda offers a journey into the Ṛgvedic period through geography maps, chronology charts and Read More

The Educational Heritage of India

HAM2200 – (CPHS - Elective Course) In this course, students will gain an insight into the learning traditions of ancient Read More

Gurus in America- The incredible impact of India’s Dharmic Ambassadors

HAM2101 – This course explores the profound impact of Indian gurus, swamis, and yogacharyas on American spirituality, starting with Swami Read More

History and Methods of Indian Astronomy

HAM4203 – This course delves into the development of Astronomy in ancient India, addressing the complexity in its understanding stemming Read More

The Vedic Origins of Hinduism

HSF5001 – (MAH – Core, Required Course) In order to understand the roots of Hinduism which for many thousands of Read More

Readings in Western Philosophy

HAM7405 - How can we know anything? What is the relationship of knowledge to the soul? Does the state of Read More

Philosophy of Race

HAM7402 - This course traces the construction of “race” in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe, beginning with the theological, political, and Read More

History of German Indology

HAM7400 - Few European nations developed such a broad spectrum of research on India or sought so strongly to defend Read More

Readings in Modern Hinduism

HAM6403 - (PhD – Elective for Hinduism and the West – Distribution) Who were the thinkers and architects of modern Read More

Mahābhārata Textual Criticism

HAM8401 – (PhD – Elective Course) This course covers the two parts of criticism: lower criticism and higher criticism. We Read More

Reconstructing Hindu History – The Omissions

HAM4202 – Reconstructing Hindu History - The Omissions course is the second of a two-quarter course sequence that examines the Read More

Reconstructing Hindu History – The Commissions

HAM4201 – This course is the first of a two-quarter course sequence that examines the scientific evidence emerging in contemporary Read More

How Hindu Dharma Transformed America

HAM2100 – How Hindu Dharma Transformed America - This course explores the history and impact of Vedic Wisdom on America’s Read More

The Philosophy of History

HAM8400 - This course introduces students to the philosophy of history, that is, the philosophical inquiry into the meaning, nature, Read More

Distortions in Indian Historiography

HAM4301 – This course traces the distortions in the historiography of medieval and modern India, discernible since the Independence of Read More

The Bhagavadgita and the West

HAM6404 - This course traces the history of the Western reception of the Bhagavadgītā, a central text of classical Hinduism. Read More

The Humanities and the University – II

Inspired by neo-humanism, the research university was to facilitate self-cultivation, aesthetic appreciation (especially through knowledge of classical antiquity), and a Read More

Historicism and the Humanities

HAM8402 - Historicism may be defined minimally as “the belief that an adequate understanding of the nature of anything and Read More

The Humanities and the University – I

Inspired by neo-humanism, the research university was to facilitate self-cultivation, aesthetic appreciation (especially through a knowledge of classical antiquity), and Read More

Historical Methods and Sources

As a mode of knowing, history has acquired unparalleled prestige. We now think that to know when, where and under Read More

The Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment or, simply, the Enlightenment extended from the late seventeenth to the eighteenth century. This epoch had Read More

Aryanism and Indology

HAM5401 - The idea of an Aryan “master race” has an enduring hold on the racist imagination. But when and Read More